Rep. Raúl Grijalva re-elected to Congress

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-7) will retain his Congressional seat for the next two years, after winning re-election 20 years after he was first elected to Congress in 2002.

At his watch party on Election night, Grijalva gathered with his supporters and spoke to them not from the stage with microphones, but in a circle as a group. He told KGUN 9 it's that level of community that he focuses on as an elected official.

"What I really like is that we had some young people helping us out—like really young, 17 to 21," Grijalva said. "They really helped turned out the young voters in the district and that's something that hasn't happened before, and I'm proud of that effort."

Grijalva led his opponent through election night, Republican business owner Luis Pozzolo. Pozzolo, an immigrant from Uruguay, ran a campaign focused largely on the economy.

The congressman told KGUN 9 that in his new term he plans to focus on the border—which had been a centerpiece for both the Grijalva and Pozzolo camps in 2022—and climate change.

Incumbent Grijalva has made climate change a central focus not only of his 2022 re-election campaign, but his work in Congress as well. He says issues relating to climate and the environment impact other areas of political concern–such as the economic influence of oil and gas.

"We have to go full blown into fossil fuels knowing that it makes the climate even worse," Grijalva said. "We can do a transition that is pragmatic, that's thoughtful and that has the resources to make the pain much less."

Grijalva chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, and has been outspoken on issues relating to environmental impacts in Southern Arizona, including mining, environmental justice and funding for electric vehicle infrastructure.

Grijalva and Pozzolo largely differed on issues relating to the border, though both stressed a need throughout the campaign to reform immigration and address border issues.

"Unfortunately the border has become cannon fodder and red meat in the political rhetoric," Grijalva said. “No one talks about solutions. You can ask them 'What about your solutions?' Build a bigger wall, put more armed people. That has not worked.”

Pozzolo cited his immigrant experience when discussing his positions on the border, and specifically about the wall.

"The wall might be symbolic for some people and some people feel excited about the wall,” Pozzolo said. “And at the same time we have to understand the communities that live on the border on both sides.”

Grijalva also serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. During his campaign he advocated for federal support of Arizona’s public schools.

"We need to step in with more supplemental support," he said. "Teachers, programs, those schools that are more challenged and schools that are underachieving — those are the areas in which that investment can be very beneficial."

Grijalva himself is a product of Arizona’s public school system, a graduate from Sunnyside High School and the University of Arizona–both of which are part of his district.

Grijalva will represent the new Congressional District 7, most of which shares geography with Congressional District 3. The exact boundaries are slightly different, but Grijalva’s district will still include western Pima County, Santa Cruz County and a more-than-300-mile stretch of the U.S. - Mexico border.